The Mental Toll of Being in the Sandwich Generation

Imagine day in and day out, year after year, caring for your children and at the same time caring for your aging parents. The constant lack of time for your employment and self-care, constant needs from a parent or child or both, as well as the financial strain to provide for everyone, leads to very high rates of burnout. 

Approximately 50% of adults considered in the “sandwich generation” report feeling overwhelmed, depressed, anxious and experience a steady decline in their mental health.  At the same time, 67% of caregivers find it extremely difficult to manage full-time employment, reducing their hours of work or leaving the workforce entirely. 

What Can We Do to Improve Mental Health?

1. Ask for Help – Ask your employer to see if they have any benefits for caregivers or if there is an option for hybrid work.  Set up a time to meet with your parents’ family doctor to see if they have any local respite care for aging adults, which tends to be not-for-profit and adds no cost to you. Ask for help within your support system by asking about carpooling to and from school and after school activities.
2. Meet a Financial Advisor – if you don’t have one, go to your bank and meet their financial advisor to discuss future financial planning which includes long-term care, long-term care insurance and a wealth plan. These steps can bring down the stress associated with the financial strain.
3. Self- Care – I say it time and time again, if we do not take care of ourselves, we cannot provide quality care to our loved ones and we will burnout and worsen our mental health quicker. Take an extra shower or bath, have green tea with honey (regulates your blood sugar) and go for a short walk alone. Consider some somatic exercises like belly breathing – four times a day, one minute each, or if your frustrated and short tempered, Wall Push – push on any wall for 60 seconds, like you want to push right through it. 

In order to meet the needs of your loved ones, plan ahead (if you can), ask for help (this is why we have a support system) and take care of you. 

 

 

Becky Morrison is a Nurse Practitioner based out of Calgary who has specialized in mental health for over a decade. She is finally, after years of infertility, a mother of two busy little boys, and doting fur mom of her gentle giant, Stella. She is, and always will be, a strong advocate for mental wellness at all ages.